C-Dory 22 Cruiser use in hot weather

J

jsimmons248

New member
As I shop for a C-Dory 22 Cruiser I am reminded by my wife that we live in Houston and she wonders how hot the cabin will be while using the boat during the summer.

At the dock we can rig a small A/C so no problem there.

From my perspective it seems the cabin roof would help protect us from the hot sun so the cabin would be a benefit.

I would appreciate any comments from C-Brats that use their boats in Houston type (hot/humid) conditions.
As usual, thanks! :)
 
My Alabama weather is not quite as hot and humid as Houston but not far behind. My 22' classic was fine and I did not have the opening front center windshield, With the side windows open and the cabin door open the ventilation was good and you could open the hatch over the berth for even more airflow. It was much better than boating in an open ski boat or such. I also used a window AC at night.
 
Some folks, even on 22's have put on a roof air unit and run it from a Honda 2000 genset in the cockpit. Or on a box in the splashwell.

Mine is on a TC255 and the genset fits on the armstrong bracket between the engines.

Charlie
 
Charlie,

I went to your album hoping to find photos of your genset -- wondering if you had it in a box to protect it or just kept it in the cockpit and put it on the swim step when you needed to use it?

In your album I found the 2 photos of the Bolger catboat -- one of my favorite sailboats! Did you build it from Dynamite Payson plans?

Warren
 
I take my 22 offshore out of Galv and Freeport, with all the windows open it's almost like having A/C, i also have a fan mounted on the dash. At night a window unit in the doorway and a Honda gen. makes it great.
 
Thanks for the input, everyone!

On another note, is it possible to stand upright in the cabin? I don't recall seeing how high the roof is. My wife and I are both under 6' tall. :smilep
 
We live in Las Vegas and it can get a bit toasty here, and even more so on Lake Mead. When we open the cabin windows we get wonderful ventilation throughout the cabin, and lack of shade is not a problem either. It is quite comfortable. At anchor we have the bimini which provides full shade over the cockpit. It's rather funny to watch other boats pass by. The C-Dory is not a common boat style on Lake Mead so folks often stare, and especially during the hot summer months. I suspect they are envious at how comfortable we look. Even if a "go fast" boat has a bimin it is often much too small and/or up much too high to give any meaningful protection to the occupants. We have not found this to be a problem in a C-Dory.

We have bought a small window air conditioner for use at anchorage on those really hot days and it will be powered by a Honda generator, but I have yet to configure a proper platform for its use. In fact, it is still in the original box. This will be one of my spring projects... Looking at what others have done I plan to operate the AC unit using the center window in the cabin.

Rob
 
We have similar weather, and I spent 4 years boating in open boats in Houston in the 50's before any AC on boats.

For the 22 and 25, a cheap WalMart Arctic King for $99 fits in the opening front window. A Honda EU 1000i will run this easily. You can make board to place it on the front deck in front of the window--and fun noodles made seal--or you can use sunbrella. Also silver foil bubble wrap will cut down sun and heat gain thru the windows.

Another option is an "Endless Breeze" Fan from Vantastic (used in RV's--great company) over the hatch is a great want to get cooling in the open hatch. The hatch is held above the hatch with two 5/8" dowels. It runs off 12 volts and on low only about 2.5 amps--high about 7 amps. Generally after about 10 PM the boat has cooled down enough that the breeze from the fan is enough to cool you adequately. Also two fans over the V Berth--one in each corner help air circulation.

During the day, either in the Desert of SW (Powell) or Gulf of Mexico, the shade is very welcome--and I consider the C dory to be a great boat in the heat. If you need more air circulation--at anchor--then the same fan in the opening front window. (I consider the opening front window to be very important). We also sailed the tropics for years, with no air conditioning--far hotter and more humid that the Texas coast--and as long as there was a breeze, it was tolerable. Only after we got to Marinas in Florida, did we even lust for air conditioning.

There are also wind scoops, which will stay open over the hatch. We also velcro "no see-em" insect screen over the inside of the hatch.
 
Doryman":2wb23ap0 said:
Charlie,

I went to your album hoping to find photos of your genset -- wondering if you had it in a box to protect it or just kept it in the cockpit and put it on the swim step when you needed to use it?

In your album I found the 2 photos of the Bolger catboat -- one of my favorite sailboats! Did you build it from Dynamite Payson plans?

Warren
Click to expand...

Warren, I didn't build the Bobcat, bought it from the builder though, Fancy Nancy's Boat Shop in Savanna GA. Drove down there and picked it up about 4 yeas ago Sally sailed it for a year or two, found the coaming uncomfortable so we garage it. Tried to sell it on a Catboat site for a while and recently donated it to the Reedville Fishermans Museum who will sell it themselves She now has an Amerisail 14.6 which she loves. That boat, the Wamsutta, lives on a jetski lift in the summer at our pier! I had the building book for the Bobcat! Nice boat! Want some more pix? It'll have to wait for a couple of weeks, send me a PM to remind me, heading for Costa Rica in two hours!

As for the genset, look in the Thataway album, it was Dr Bob's boat before it was ours!

Charlie
 
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